book lovin' blog

January 1, 2015January 1, 2015

My New Years Reading Resolution

Last night, we went to a New Year’s Eve party, an actual real-life party with cool people. I excited to go; I was so ready to throw away the old year and embrace 2015. It was only when everyone started counting down to midnight that it hit me: 2014 was kind of awesome.

My only wish for this year is that it is half as amazing as the one before it.

One of the coolest things I did in 2014 was to read 40 books. It was a challenge that I set for myself, and because I had a goal, I read way more then I would have otherwise. I also read some books that I never would have, because, why not? I ended up loving them! When I finished the 40th book, I expected to feel accomplished, but instead I felt empty. I had chased this for an entire year, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.

Naturally, I binge-watched Netflix until I just couldn’t watch Netflix anymore.

I thought about what I wanted to make of 2015. I could push harder, read 50 books? That would make about one book per week, and with a wedding and a move in the works, it just didn’t seem possible.

I reflected back to some of the days that I was worried I wouldn’t meet my goal. I spent some of my days off in a D.C. Panera, huddled over a cup of coffee, reading for six hours straight. Sometimes, that’s where I wanted to be, but some days, I felt like I had to be there–it just took the fun out of one of my favorite activities.

One of my favorite books in the reading challenge was The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime, by Mark Haddon. I read this while on vacation in San Diego, and really took my time with it. I listened to an interview with the author; I journaled about my favorite parts of the book. I put down the book feeling completely satisfied, and want to take this memory as inspiration for this year’s challenge.

My 2015 Reading Challenge will be not about quantity, but about quality.

I don’t know what that means yet, but I’m taking this blog along for the journey! Come along with me as I read (x) amount of books, chew them, digest them, enjoy them! I can’t wait to share them all with you!

Thank you all for the love and support you have shared with me in 2014. As always, happy reading!